Computer Security in the Information Age
Computers; they are a part of or in millions of homes; they are an intricate part of just about every if not all successful businesses, the government, and the military. Computers have become common place in today’s society and the lives of the people who live in it. They have crossed every national, racial, cultural, educational, and financial barrier, which consequently ushered in the information age. A computer is a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve and process data, and they come in all shapes, and sizes. They can be used for and in just about anything. As stated before, they are used in just about every aspect of modern society. They are so fundamental to modern society that it would be disastrous to society without them. As stated before, there are many areas in modern society that are run by computers. They play an intricate part of millions of homes in the world. Office workers in business, government and the military may use them to write letters, keep rosters, create budgets, find information, manage projects, communicate with workers, and so on. They are used in education, medicine, music, law enforcement, and unfortunately crime. Because computers have become such a part of the world and how it operates, there is a tremendous responsibility for those who are in control of these computers and the vital information that they carry, to manage and protect them properly. This is management and protection is vital because any loss or damage could be disastrous for the affected entity. For example, a mistake or intentional alteration of a personal credit file could affect ones ability to buy a car or home, or can lead to legal actions against the affected person until the mistake or intentional alteration has been corrected. Therefore, with the advent of computers in the information age, and all of the intentional and unintentional violations against them, comes the need to safeguard them and the information they carry with strong systems and policies of computer security.
Computer security is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of your computer. Prevention measures help to stop unauthorized users or intruders from accessing any part of a computer system. Detection helps one to determine whether or not someone attempted to break into a computer system, if they were successful, and what they may have done.
In the world today, computers are used in every field. Be it a major space exploration or a small chore like cleaning our room. The use of computers has made our lives easier but at the same time a computer failure can make our lives miserable too. We trust computers more than we trust anything else these days. We use computers to communicate, share personal information, buy goods online, etc. We also trust computers with our safety. Starting from house alarm systems and other safety devices we have now moved on to using computers to Test Car Crashes.
Ever since day one, people have been developing and creating all sorts of new methods and machines to help better everyday life in one way or another. Who can forget the invention of the ever-wondrous telephone? And we can’t forget how innovative and life-changing computers have been. However, while all machines have their positive uses, there can also be many negatives depending on how one uses said machines, wiretapping in on phone conversations, using spyware to quietly survey every keystroke and click one makes, and many other methods of unwanted snooping have arisen. As a result, laws have been made to make sure these negative uses are not taken advantage of by anyone.
In our current society, people have become increasingly dependent on technology and computers to perform daily activities. Presently, every aspect of life is influenced by the emergence of computers and technology. Computers nowadays are used in mobile business operations, socialization, advertising, gaming, and many other tasks. Many people depend on computers and technology to succeed in life. Due to the extensive use of computers, a question is posed, are people in the modern society, becoming overly reliant on computers?
Computers are the core technology of our times and apparently, the most important technology to be invented and used by man . Without computers and computer networks, especially, the Internet, activities of most organizations, such as banks, schools, government agencies would simply grind to a halt. Modern society's dependence on the use of information technology, make it more vulnerable to computer malfunction caused by unreliable software and to computer misuse (Forrester and Morrison, 2001). According to Forrester and Morrison (2001), this unethical use of computer have created a whole new range of social problems, which include computer crime, software theft, hacking, the creation of viruses, invasion of privacy, overreliance on intelligent machines and workplace stress.
Security is a word that comes from the verb to secure, which is to protect from harm. Security is meant of safety or protection to, for example, have activities involved in protecting a country, building or person against attack, danger [1]. Security is the state of feeling happy and safe from danger or worry [1]. Computer security is such a security that is considered to protect the computer system against attacks or harms. I refer computer system here to be comprised of hardware, software, data, and the user. Any attack or harm against the flow of data or information is to be defined as a computer security problem such as disruption of operations through viruses, worms and logic bombs along with unauthorized access [2]....
In this paper I will be explaining how computers play both a positive and negative role in the family life. Along with how much computers have changed the “Family Life”. I will explain how computers open the doors to endless access to the world. All this freedom however comes with a price. One must realize that you will be losing security with every new site signed up for or every purchase made on-line. Not to mention all the other problems that come along with having a computer. You must be ready and aware of the risks so you can be prepared when you hook-up your computer.
Over the years there have been manifold transformations in the area of information and technology and with these the importance of such technological innovations has also increased. In the contemporary society technology has become an irreplaceable part of our lives and hence, whether we would like to admit it or not we have become dependent on it for most of our life tasks. There have been many technological innovations over the years which can be traced back to the invention of the telephones in the Victorian Era to the advent of internet around the time of the World Wars and to its contemporary avatar. All these advances in technology especially the invention of internet has caused people to become dependent on it for something as simple as shopping for groceries to booking holidays and undertaking huge financial transactions. This increased dependence on technology has lead us to interact with our computers and laptops more than people around us.
I have been using computers for as long as I can remember, whether it is for entertainment use or work use, computers are part of our everyday lives. They have an effect on almost everything you do. When you buy groceries at a supermarket, a computer is uesed with laser and barcode technology to scan the price of each item and present a total. Barcoding items (clothes, food and books ) requires a computer to generate the barcode labels and maintain the inventory. Most televison advertisiments and many films use graphics produced by a computer. In hospitals, bedide terminals connected to the hospital's main computer allow doctors to typw in orders for blood tests and to schedule operations. Banks use computers to lool after their customers' money. In libraries and bookshops, computers can help to find the book you want as quikly as possible. This has not always been the case though; computers did not always exist, and are continuously changing to this day. I think one group said it best,” Companies promote it for their employees. Parents demand it for their children. Those who have it believe they have a competitive edge. Those who don't have it seek it out. "It" is a computer. We are rapidly becoming a "computer society" Until recently computers were found only in environmentally controlled rooms behind locked doors. Only computer professionals dared enter these secured premises. In contrast today computers are found in millions of homes and just about every office. In fact there is a computer for one in every eight people in the world. Eventually all of us will have at least one computer and will use it every day for work and leisure.”
In the early years of computers and computerized technology, computer engineers had to believe that their contribution to the development of computer technology would produce positive impacts on the people that would use it. During the infancy of computer technology, ethical issues concerning computer technology were almost nonexistent because computers back then were not as multifaceted as they are today. However, ethical issues relating to computer technology and cyber technology is undeniable in today’s society. Computer technology plays a crucial role in all aspects of our daily lives. Different forms of computer technology provide unique functionalities that allow people to perform daily activities effectively and efficiently. In modern society, we use computer and cyber technology to communicate with friends and family via social networking sites, participate in business transactions, and get current news. Different tasks require unique technological feature in computer technology to function properly. Although, unique technological features increase people’s proficiency in accomplishing various tasks, unique technological features in computer and cyber technology increase security vulnerabilities. In many cases, the security vulnerabilities in computer technology are exploited by cybercriminals to invade people’s privacy, and steal people’s identity. We know that computers have no moral compass; they cannot make moral decisions for themselves. Essentially, people make moral decisions that affect others positively or negatively depending on how they use computer technology. Some of the biggest ethical issues facing people in the computing environment include privacy concerns on the web and identity theft. Privacy concerns...
The computer evolution has been an amazing one. There have been astonishing achievements in the computer industry, which dates back almost 2000 years. The earliest existence of the computer dates back to the first century, but the electronic computer has only been around for over a half-century. Throughout the last 40 years computers have changed drastically. They have greatly impacted the American lifestyle. A computer can be found in nearly every business and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). Our Society relies critically on computers for almost all of their daily operations and processes. Only once in a lifetime will a new invention like the computer come about.
Electronic messages sent over the Internet can be easily tracked, revealing who is talking to whom and what they are talking about. As people surf the Internet, they are constantly giving information to web sites. People should become aware that the collection, selling, or sharing of the information they provide online increases the chances that their information will fall into the wrong hands. When giving personal information on the Internet, people should make sure the Web site is protected with a recognizable security symbol. On the other hand, this does not mean they are fully protected because anyone may obtain a user’s information. In other words, the most common Internet crimes are frauds.Today, not only humans getting viruses, but computers are also. Computers are mainly getting these viruses from the Internet, yet viruses may also be transferred through floppy disks. However, people should mainly be concerned about receiving viruses from the Internet. Some of these dangerous viruses destroy the computer’s entire hard drive, meaning that the user can no longer access the computer. Virus protection is highly
The advancement of computer technology makes the world easier place to live by facilitating the fields of science, medicine, and education. Although computers benefit us from many aspects, they also have negative implications. Many criminals use the computer to take or alter data, and to gain unlawful access of computers, by using computer worms, viruses, and Trojans. Which has posed new challenges for the government and the society. Due to the versatility of the computer, drawing lines between criminal and non-criminal behavior regarding its use can be difficult. About fifty years ago, hacking was the art of figuring out unique solutions. The hackers broke into computers and networks because they were curious and those tools were inaccessible. In today’s world hacking is a means for getting dollars, not a hunt for information and knowledge. Presently criminals are struggling hard to find new ways to hack the personal information and financial data from user’s computers. Therefore, hacking has become a serious problem in today’s computer dependent society, people should implement stronger measures to stop
Computer security is needed to protect the computer and the data that is stored or accessed in the computer. Computers are used on jobs, in schools, and for research. They also support critical business processes. Computers protect personal and sensitive information for businesses too. The meaning of computer security has changed over the years. In the past people did not have to worry about someone putting a virus on their computer, the only problem they had then was someone taking it from them. There were viruses, but they were used for the mainframe so they would not work, not for personal computers. Even at this time there were not a lot of personal computers in use. A lot of people could not afford them in the past. Then you had people that did not know what computers were and what they did. Now today you cannot find a person that doesn’t know what a computer is for. Today most people have at least one computer of some type in their homes. In the business world people would lock up the computers in the computer room to keep people from messing up the machine. The machines were too big to carry out. The main frames were massive machines that took up a lot of space. You did not have to worry about someone moving them. Today computer sizes are a lot smaller. These computers are portable so they can be carried off but that is not the main problem. The main problem come in to play when you have people stealing data off of your machine while you are on the internet surfing. All users want to prevent theft of their computer and theft to the data that is in their computer. Users do not want anyone to put viruses on their computer or anything that may damage the computer. Some business will only allow strict acce...
Computers are one of the greatest inventions in the 20th century. With hundreds of electronic devices attached inside the computer and the flows of electrical energy, we can simplify our daily lives by only clicking on the mouse and typing on the keyboard. There are many types of computers nowadays. Huge and powerful computers are employed by governments and businesses to perform complex tasks and to store data. Computers are particularly good at performing repetitive tasks at speeds far faster than any human or team of humans can. Small computers like home and personal computers can also perform menial tasks much faster than human beings. The computers are a blessing to us, but it could give us some negative effects if we don't use it properly. These negative effects include possible bankruptcy, loss of communication, piracy and loss of esthetic value. Therefore, computers have had a huge impact on human society today.
In our digital world computers a stuff of can’t be replaced. Computers in addition to assist we keep our important data in computers and also can assist we constant innovation. However, there are many criminals while utilize it for make criminal cases. Such as, theft other people bank account so that theft other people money on their bank account and utilize network for deceit other people’s private information. Therefore, we need computer security for prevent these criminal cases. Computer security is information security applied network and computers. This is because, computer security can help our private information will not be leak so that criminals could not take advantages of us. Furthermore, computer security is software applied in computers and World Wide Web when we want to access web site in World Wide Web we will get variety of viruses. This is because, viruses will damage our important data in computers that cause we could not work smoothly. Besides that, computer security also is our finance protector. This is because, many criminals cases also regarding bank account be stolen. So we need by way of computer security to safeguard our will not get pecuniary loss.